In the past, there have been proposed several different types of protective face shields for medical workers. The purpose of the shields is to protect the worker from splatter of fluids from the patient. With the appearance of the AIDS virus, the desire for protection has increased substantially. Today, virtually all surgeons, dentists and other health care workers that are at risk utilize face protection.
The prior art devices usually include a thin plastic sheet positioned over the face of the user. As will be recognized, the manner in which the sheet is mounted so as to be secure, and at the same time not be an obstruction to the operation that is being conducted, is the primary problem to be solved. Past efforts in solving the problem have centered around three general approaches. Probably the most popular approach is to provide a permanent mounting on a separate headband or visor that is placed on the head of the user, such as shown in the U.S. patent to Landis U.S. Pat. No. 4,701,965, issued Oct. 27, 1987. While this approach works well for dentists and some other health workers, it is simply not practical for surgeons and others that need a headlight, or other device that is supported by the head. Securing an additional headband in place, especially where a surgeon's headlight is being used, is difficult at best and is, for all practical purposes, unworkable.
The second approach that is used in some instances is to provide a hand-held shield, such as shown in the Dash et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,848,322, issued Jul. 18, 1989. As shown in this prior patent, where the shield can be mounted on an endoscope, or the like, it is practical to have a manually supported shield. However, where both hands are needed for the operation being carried out, such as in the case of a surgeon, the hand-held shield is not practical.
The third major effort is where the protective shield is attached directly to the face by adhesive tape or the like, as shown in the Forbes U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,535, issued Aug. 15, 1989. While this approach will work where a headband is used to support a headlight or the like, it has proven to be uncomfortable and generally unreliable. In the instance where an operation is prolonged, the adhesive can loosen, especially due to perspiration that can develop on the forehead of the user as a result of the buildup of heat, such as from the overhead lights.
It is also a concern of surgeons, and others that use headlights, to protect the housing of the headlight from splatter of liquids. It is important to keep the housing clean so as not to harbor an environment for development of bacteria or otherwise support viruses or the like. In some instances of low risk, or where other protection is provided for the face of the user, it is desirable to provide a separate shield for the headlight. This is especially true for headlight designs utilizing ribs around the housing for assisting in dissipation of heat buildup. It is difficult and time consuming to make certain that splattered material in the crevices between the ribs is completely removed after each operation. With a shield in place for the housing, the cleanup effort can be reduced dramatically.